To Have and To Hold
by Himizu-chan
Summary: Honey and Mori are in a plane crash, and Honey does not survive. Mori's guilt and grief being to overwhelm him and he starts to fall apart. Haruhi tries to be there for him, even as he pushes her away. But she keeps trying, and he gradually begins to respond to her attempts to console him. Maybe, just maybe, she can save him from his pain. A bit of fluff at the end. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**To Have and To Hold**

A/N: Just to let you all know, the style of this first chapter is a bit unusual. It's a bit of an experiment for me, trying to convey events using nothing but dialogue and sound effects, but I really wanted to try it out. If you don't like it, I assure you that chapter two will clear up everything that happens in this chapter and the rest of the story will be told in a more conventional way. If you DO like it… please tell me. I like to know when something I do works well. Maybe eventually I'll try something more ambitious using this style. We'll see.

This is currently rated M because of the character death, and because dealing with said death will be the main theme of the story. There might also be strong language, because that's just something I will occasionally pepper my work with. Rating might change, or I might leave as is until the fic is done since I don't really know if there will be a romance near the end or not.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club

* * *

Chapter 1

"Takashi!"

"Yes Mitsukuni?"

"Are you ready? Are you all packed? Are you excited?"

"…Yes Mitsukuni."

"I can't wait to see the new plane my dad bought! I think a couple celebrities are coming with us, so we have to share the plane, but it'll be fun, right?"

"Yes Mitsukuni."

"Oh look, the limo is here! Let's go!"

* * *

"And reporting on the daily celebrity gossip, here's Atsuko!"

"Thanks Rei. I'm here at the airport waiting to get an interview with Mei-chan and Nee-chan, the famous pop duo. They were lucky enough to book a spot on the newest charter plane purchased by the Haninozuka estate. Their band is already loading up and I saw the heirs of the Haninozuka and Morinozuka estates boarding the plane just minutes ago. Ah, here come the girls now! Mei-chan! Nee-chan!"

"Hi Atsuko! It's good to see you again."

"So are you two excited for your first European tour?"

"Oh we definitely are. We love our fans here in Japan, but it's something else entirely to be recognized in other countries."

"What's it like to be on a Haninozuka charter plane?"

"Well, we won't know until we get there, will we?"

"But it really is an honor… Haninozuka-sama was very kind when we approached him about booking spots on this plane. We knew he was looking for some extra passengers and we're just thrilled to be on the maiden flight."

"Have you met the young heir to the Haninozuka estate yet?"

"Not yet, but we heard he and his cousin, the Morinozuka heir, are headed to Switzerland for a pretty important business meeting, so we're very lucky that our schedules line up so well."

"Well ladies, it was lovely to talk to you again, but I can see the crew is looking pretty impatient. Thank you for your time, and I hope your concert is fantastic."

"Thanks Atsuko! See you when we get back!"

"Sayonara Japan, we'll miss you terribly!"

"There you are, Rei, the girls are off on their first international tour and the charter plane is on its maiden voyage. Back to you in the studio."

* * *

_Ring ring._

…

_Ring ring._

"Hello?"

…

"Tamaki-senpai, please slow down. I can't understand what you're saying."

…

"The TV? No, it's not on."

…

"YES I have a TV, senpai…"

…

"Okay, I'm turning on the news right now."

"—and to continue with our breaking news story, the charter plane belonging to the Haninozuka family and carrying the heirs of the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families, as well as the popular pop duo of Mei-chan and Nee-chan has apparently crashed somewhere in the mountains of central Asia. Rescue crews are attempting to locate the plane, which vanished from radar just minutes after a distress call was received at a nearby airport. Attempts to establish contact with the plane have been unsuccessful so far and it is unknown if there are any survivors."

"Oh… oh dear God…"

…

"Yes, yes I'm watching… I see it… Oh my god, Honey and Mori!"

…

"I don't know what to do… Does everyone else know?"

…

"Oh… of course Kyouya-senpai called you. What about the twins?"

…

"No, Tamaki-senpai, I can call them if you want."

…

"No, it's not a problem. Honest. I want to feel like I'm doing something."

…

"Yes, okay, please call me if you hear anything else. I'll keep the TV on."

…

"Yes, of course. Goodbye Tamaki."

_Click_

"Oh my god… Honey and Mori… I don't believe this…"

…

_Beep-boop-beep-beep-boop-beep-boop._

_ Ring ring._

"Kaoru? It's Haruhi."

…

"Ye..."

…

"No…"

…

"Yes… Well…"

…

"But…"

…

"Kaoru, listen, this isn't a social call!"

…

"No, Kaoru, I'm not mad, but just listen to me for a second! Honey and Mori have been in a plane crash!"

…

"Yeah, Tamaki called me, but it's all over the news! Their plane crashed in the mountains somewhere and nobody knows if anyone survived!"

…

"Yes, Kyouya knows. He's the one who called Tamaki."

…

"Yes, and now I'm telling you and you can tell Hikaru."

…

"Oh Kaoru, I don't know what to do. I'm so worried about them!"

…

"Yeah… I know. You're right. There's nothing we can do until the rescue crews find them."

…

"Yeah… okay. I'll be sitting right by the phone and I'll be watching the TV. If you hear anything, please call me right away, promise?"

…

"Yeah, okay. Bye."

_Click_.

* * *

"We interrupt this program to bring you this breaking news! The Haninozuka plane has been found. The rescue crews have found no survivors."

_Ring ring._

"Hello?"

…

"Tamaki…"

…

"Yes, I heard. I don't even… I can't…" *sob*

…

"Yes… yes, thank you for calling."

…

"No… no… don't come over… I need to be alone right now. I'll call you later, okay?"

…

"Yes, I promise. Bye."

_Click_

*sob*

* * *

"We interrupt this program to bring you this breaking news! A lone survivor from the Haninozuka plane crash has been found. An individual was discovered in a remote village forty miles away from the plane crash. It is believed that this individual walked that distance seeking aid. The identity of the survivor will be released after the family has been contacted. It has been confirmed that this is the only survivor of the plane crash. All other bodies have been recovered."

_Ring ring._

"Hello?"

…

"Kyouya-senpai?"

…

"No, I'm just surprised… I thought Tamaki-senpai would call again… Or maybe one of the twins. Did you hear about the survivor? Do you know who it is yet?"

…

"Oh my god…"

"—and in further news, the lone survivor of the Haninozuka plane crash has been identified as Takashi Morinozuka, heir to the Morinozuka estate…"

* * *

A/N: Well, there it is. My weird experimental chapter. I hope it was at least interesting to read, but I have to admit I'm looking forward to getting back to writing a normal story with descriptions and such. Again, if you really liked the style, let me know. If not, let me know about that too so I know never to do it again!

Also, yes, I'm just the worst hypocrite in the world. I complain on my profile that I refuse to read fanfictions that include major character death, yet here I am writing one. I'm just an awful person. But I have had many discussions about this series with one of my friends and we've agreed that Mori's character is just way too limited by the presence of Honey, and so I decided to eliminate his character in the hopes that Mori's character will subsequently blossom in ways that it just couldn't while Honey was alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N: So the responses to my experimental chapter were overall pretty good. The most common complaint was that the passage of time was hard to understand. I have cleared that up literally in the first sentence of the chapter. Maybe eventually I'll try to re-write chapter 1 or just add something to show the passage of time, but if this does the trick, then I'll probably just leave it alone. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club

* * *

It had been eleven days since the Haninozuka charter plane had crashed, and six days since Mori had been found alive in a nearby village and Honey had been confirmed dead. The students at Ouran High School were reeling and two memorials for Honey had sprung up overnight. One was in the Host Club's room, with flowers and trinkets left by his sobbing clients. The other was in the main courtyard and every student in the school had stopped in front of the portrait of the baby-faced senior to pay their respects.

The Host Club had remained open for business, but no one had actually entertained clients. The girls and the members alike were subdued and spent their time reminiscing about Honey or sitting in morose silence. Even Kyouya had taken a break from tapping away on his laptop or writing in his notebook.

The girls had all left early but the five hosts were reluctant to leave. The Hitachiin twins sat close together, Kaoru's head on Hikaru's shoulder and Hikaru's head resting on his twin's as they sat in unusual silence. They hadn't played jokes or acted devilish since the news of Honey's death had reached them. Kyouya sat staring out the window, his glasses shining to hide any emotion in his eyes. Tamaki sat on the floor nearby, head resting on his knees. The boy's normal sparkling demeanor was totally subdued. And Haruhi knelt before the memorial to Honey, tears filling her eyes as she lit a candle for her lost friend.

Standing up, she thought about going to sit with Tamaki, but she decided against that and instead started walking around, collecting discarded teacups. There had been few refreshments today, but still enough to create a bit of work for the club's lone female member.

Hikaru's phone beeped, and he looked at it with a frown. "Kaoru, our driver is here. We should go."

"Yeah, okay," Kaoru muttered, not moving an inch.

Hikaru frowned at his twin, then craned his neck to look at Haruhi. "Do you want a ride home?" he asked her.

Haruhi braced herself for Tamaki's screams of rage about how he refused to let those "twin devils" be anywhere alone with his "precious daughter" and his overprotective smothering hugs. But to her surprise, Tamaki had only lifted his head, too filled with sorrow to even indulge in his favorite hobby of yelling at the twins.

Haruhi shook her head. "I want to finish cleaning up and I don't want you to wait on me. Thanks for the offer though." She passed close to Tamaki and he finally roused himself enough to stand and hug her, though with considerably less exuberance than usual.

"You're such a wonderful daughter, Haruhi… So wise… I'm so glad you know better than to be alone with those devils. Daddy is so proud of you," he said, tears pouring from his eyes.

"Knock it off, senpai," Haruhi said, shrugging him off as gently as she could.

"Sorry darling, Daddy just wanted to hug you," Tamaki said meekly. "If you want, I can give you a ride home when you're finished cleaning up."

It was on the tip of Haruhi's tongue to accept the kind offer (for once, but she had found herself desperately wanting to be in the company of someone from the host club since she heard about Honey), but the frightening light from Kyouya's glasses caught her attention as the young man turned towards her.

"Tamaki, have you forgotten that *I* gave you a ride to school this morning?" the Shadow King demanded.

"Oh… right… Sorry Mommy," Tamaki said, wilting a little. Then he perked up again. "But Mommy doesn't want to allow our poor darling daughter to walk home by herself, right?"

"Haruhi is more than capable of walking home from school by herself, she does that almost every day," Kyouya pointed out darkly.

Tears appeared in Tamaki's eyes. "Oh Mommy! How can you be so cruel to our darling daughter?" he wailed.

Kyouya frowned and pushed his glasses further up onto his nose. Seeing her debt increasing exponentially for inconveniencing the Shadow King, Haruhi decided to put the brakes on this plan. "Kyouya-senpai is right; I don't need a ride home. It's fine, Tamaki-senpai, don't worry about it."

Tamaki frowned. "This is unacceptable!" he exclaimed with some of his old fire. He turned to face Kyouya and pulled out his best puppy-dog eyes.

Kyouya glanced mildly at Tamaki. "Fine, if it'll shut you up, we can take her home."

"Yay! Thank you Kyouya!" Tamaki exclaimed, throwing his arms joyously around the dark-haired boy.

"As long as you don't mind if we raise her debt to compensate for the fuel and my driver's salary that we will spend to go out of our way… _Dad_." Kyouya's voice took on a slightly smug tone at the last word.

Tamaki's jaw dropped and he suddenly looked like a puppy who had been kicked by someone he trusted. "Kyouya, you are truly the cruelest mother in the world!" he gasped melodramatically.

Haruhi shook her head and finished gathering up the dishes and got to work washing them and putting them away. Hikaru and Kaoru waved goodbye and left, leaving Haruhi with only her thoughts and her bickering senpais for company. About twenty minutes later, she walked back into the main room and grabbed her bag.

"I'm going home, guys. See you tomorrow," she called as she headed for the door.

Tamaki stopped his latest rant in midsentence to glare at Kyouya. The dark-haired boy sighed.

"Haruhi, we'll give you a ride. It appears I will get no peace unless I appease this idiot."

Tamaki smiled smugly, not caring in the least about the insult now that he'd gotten his way.

Haruhi hesitated at the door. "That's not necessary…" she mumbled.

"Haruhi, do not test my patience. Just be grateful I've decided to go along with this and accept the offer gracefully."

"Fine, fine. Thank you for offering the ride, senpai," Haruhi said with a small bow in the older boy's direction. Tamaki grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the club's room, practically skipping with delight, while Kyouya locked the door and trailed after them. However the mood darkened again when they saw the shrine to Honey in the main courtyard. The trio slowed their steps, bowing their heads to their upperclassman's portrait, and the ride to Haruhi's apartment was subdued.

Arriving at her apartment, Haruhi thanked the boys again for the ride and headed up the stairs to the apartment she shared with her father, assuming that it would be empty as his shift at the bar should have started nearly forty minutes ago. So she was stunned to find Ranka at home busily cooking something at the stove.

"Dad? What are you doing home?" Haruhi asked, setting her schoolbooks down and approaching her father. She didn't even blink at the fact that he was wearing a frilly pink apron.

Ranka paused in his cooking and turned to embrace his daughter. "I thought you could use the company tonight, my dear. I know you've been having a hard time since your friend died," he said, crushing her to his chest.

"You didn't have to call off work just for me," Haruhi protested. "I've been talking to the rest of my friends on the phone every night once my homework is done."

"It's not the same thing though, is it?"

Haruhi lowered her head. If she was being honest with herself, no it wasn't the same. "Thanks Dad," she said in a small voice.

She enjoyed a quiet dinner with her dad and did her homework while he bustled around the house doing minor chores and singing in an off-key voice. Many people might have found that distracting or annoying, but she was oddly soothed by the company, although it was annoying trying to keep him from listening in on her conversations with Tamaki and the twins when they called her. Kyouya somehow must have known that her father was home because he sent her text messages instead. She didn't bother to question how he might have come by that information.

The next day, Haruhi went to school and headed straight to the Host Club's room. There she greeted the other members and prepared instant coffee for all of them. They drank their coffee and talked about Honey in hushed voices, wondering when the funeral would be and when Mori would return to school. It was nearly class time when Haruhi took their cups and headed to the little kitchen area to wash up. She spotted a small bouquet of flowers that someone had left for Honey, and she filled a vase with water and started towards the shrine to add them to the rest of the flowers, but a figure standing in the doorway made her freeze.

"Mori-senpai?"

* * *

A/N: Yeah... Little short... Oh well. I have a lot of fanfics in the works right now, and this seemed like a good place to stop.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A/N: I know the last chapter was a bit of a cliffie, but I don't think I've kept anyone waiting for too long. This chapter is a bit longer than the last one, at least.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club.

* * *

Everyone in the room turned towards the doorway at Haruhi's words. Sure enough, the tall figure of Mori graced the doorway of Music Room 3. He had a bandage wrapped around his forehead, his left arm was in a cast and a sling, there was a piece of plaster on his cheek and another on his neck and he seemed to be trying to keep weight off his right leg or ankle, but he was there and he was alive, just as they'd been told. But it was one thing to hear that he was alive, and quite another to see him standing there.

Mori shuffled his feet nervously, looking embarrassed by the stares. For several moments, no one seemed to know what to do. Then Kyouya stood up and moved towards Mori.

"Welcome back, Mori. May I offer my condolences?" he said in that soft voice of his, properly sincere as he spoke.

That seemed to lift the floodgates, and Tamaki and twins also hurried over to express their delight that he had returned, as well as their sorrow over Honey's loss.

Haruhi had to set the vase of flowers on the nearest table. Her palms were slick with sweat and her hands were shaking. She had not expected it would be so hard to see Mori like this, injured and without his cousin. But she couldn't stop herself from trembling. She took a deep breath, then grabbed the vase properly, placed it on Honey's shrine, and finally turned to face the tall senior.

For just a moment, she envied the rich bastards. They had all been brought up with thousands of lessons on what to say and how to say it for every conceivable scenario, and it was rare for any of them to be at a loss for words. Haruhi had always relied on her instincts in situations like this, but even that failed her as she stared up at those dark brown eyes, so sorrow-laden that they made her want to cry.

Well, she had to say something, it would be unspeakably rude not to. So she settled for laying a hand on his arm. "Oh Mori…" she whispered, but tears threatened to choke her and her hand reflexively squeezed his arm.

He didn't say anything to her, though that wasn't unusual. He also didn't remove her hand from his arm, which WAS unusual. But there wasn't much time to dwell on this, as the bell began to ring and the twins grabbed her and dragged her off to their classroom.

The entire school was buzzing, and it was perfectly obvious that the afternoon at the Host Club would be chaotic. Haruhi mentally winced, sympathizing with Mori… This was so hard for him already, and so much attention… She shook her head and tried to focus on the lesson.

There had been no plans to dress up in costumes that afternoon, and everyone was too interested in talking to Mori to mind anyways. The twins and Tamaki were all sitting at a table with the silent senior, and the girls were all crowded around, making such a din as they all tried to talk at once. Kyouya kept his distance from the crowd, typing away at his laptop. Haruhi hovered a short distance away.

"He doesn't like any of this," she thought, and then suddenly realized she'd spoke out loud when the Shadow King turned to look at her.

"No, I'm sure he doesn't. Mori has never been one for crowds," he agreed softly.

"Can't we tell the girls to leave?" she asked, softly as possible so no one else would hear the suggestion.

Kyouya adjusted his glasses. "Don't get me wrong, I would like to… but it would be dreadfully impolite. They're only trying to offer their condolences, after all."

Haruhi exhaled, making a snorting noise as she did so. "You damn rich people and your formalities."

Kyouya's mouth twitched. Perhaps under different circumstances, he might have favored her with that amused half-smile he sometimes wore. "I agree that they are sometimes inconvenient, but surely even you can admit that it's nice to know exactly what you are expected to say under unpleasant circumstances."

Haruhi gulped. That line was unpleasantly close to what she had thought this morning. She wondered, not for the first time, whether Kyouya could read her mind. "Still, I wish there was a way to rescue him," she said, trying to squash any thoughts of a telepathic Kyouya… that was just bad news for everyone.

"It won't last long," Kyouya assured her. "After the funeral…"

But then he stopped speaking abruptly. Haruhi felt as though she'd been punched in the gut. Honey's funeral… she didn't even want to contemplate the idea…

Tamaki's voice rose above the crowd. "Now ladies, I know we're all just delighted to have our dear Mori-senpai back with us, but you must remember that he is injured and it's his first day back, so I think he deserves a little space, don't you, my lovely princesses?"

Several girls swooned at Tamaki's exaggerated mannerisms, but slowly they began to file out, leaving the Host Club alone at last. The twins leaned over Mori's shoulders.

"So how are you doing, senpai?" they asked in unison. "Can we get you anything?"

"'m fine," Mori mumbled, fingers running nervously across his cast.

"Are you sure?" Tamaki asked almost eagerly. "We're just so glad to have you back… Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Mori nodded his head, one quick jerk.

Haruhi finally moved towards the group. "Tea, anyone?" she asked, holding up the tray.

The twins grabbed cups, and she handed a cup first to Tamaki, then to Mori. At first it looked as though he wasn't going to take it, but then he reached out and their fingertips brushed. He finally glanced up to meet her eyes, and she managed what she hoped was an encouraging smile. Those deep dark eyes, normally so warm and friendly, were dull and almost lifeless. It made Haruhi sick to see.

Tamaki and the twins tried to get Mori to talk, but he would not be drawn out of his shell and eventually talk moved to other topics. Everyone carefully avoided the topic of Honey. And it wasn't long before Mori stood, quietly said he would see them all tomorrow, and walked out.

Haruhi walked to the window and stared out, watching Mori limp through the courtyard. He glanced briefly in the direction of the large shrine to his cousin, then looked away again, keeping his eyes on the ground as he slowly made his way off school grounds.

Haruhi left school only a few minutes later. Everyone else was still talking, but she just wanted to be alone to think. Thankfully her father was already at work by the time she got home, so the house was quiet. As she cleaned the house, she organized her thoughts along with the kitchen cabinets. Mori's return to the school so soon had been unexpected, but seeing him in person… He needed help. She'd known he would need help though… of course he would. Losing his cousin, his best friend, in such a sudden and traumatic way… it would hurt anyone. But how to reach out and help this quiet young man heal? Haruhi was at a loss.

The question was not answered the next day either. Again, Mori was swamped with well-meaning people, and it only seemed to make him withdraw further into himself. Haruhi could not bring herself to approach him in these moments, although she wanted to do something to help and to show him that she cared.

Sitting next to Kyouya and working on her homework, she glanced over at their guests. The girls were swarming all around Mori, nearly ignoring the rest of the Host Club. She glanced at Kyouya, but wasn't comfortable talking about her innermost thoughts with the calculating Shadow King.

"The Host Club has never had so many guests at one time," Kyouya said softly.

Haruhi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked up. Kyouya was gazing impassively at the screen of his laptop, and Haruhi wondered if he meant for her to respond.

Kyouya crossed his arms, leaning back from the screen. "So why do I want to put a stop to this?" he asked, still not seeming to be asking anyone in particular.

Haruhi lifted an eyebrow. "Maybe because even you can see that this isn't doing anything good for Mori at all, and you want to help him?"

Kyouya gave her a withering look. "You say that as though I don't care about the members of this club."

"You care," she said mildly. "As long as it doesn't interfere too much with the bottom line."

The light flashed off the lenses of Kyouya's glasses. "Not funny."

"You're right," Haruhi said, putting the book down. "That was mean. I'm sorry."

"These last couple weeks have been hard on all of us," Kyouya said at last. And although he didn't smile, his face seemed to relax a little as he looked at her. "I'm going to ask everyone to leave." And he stood up and walked over to the large crowd of girls, gently asking them to leave lest they tire Mori overmuch.

Haruhi remained seated at the table, tapping her pencil against the book in front of her. As the girls began to leave the room, she expected Kyouya to join her again, but he remained with the rest of the Club, so she stood and walked towards the group. The twins were sitting on either side of Tamaki on a couch, and Mori and Kyouya were sitting on opposite ends of a second couch facing them, forcing Haruhi to choose between sitting between Mori and Kyouya or pulling up a chair. Deciding that going to the effort of dragging over a chair was too awkward, she stepped over Kyouya's foot with a soft 'excuse me', neatly dodging the leg he'd crossed, and landing gracefully between her two senpais.

Everyone was talking inconsequentially except for Haruhi and Mori. Mori was staring off into space, not really paying attention to the rest of the group. The hand that was not in a cast rested on the cushion of the couch between them. Haruhi glanced at everyone else. No one was looking at her or Mori as Tamaki chattered about the latest party while Kyouya tried to dissuade him from being too extravagant, and the twins just egged the boys on. She hesitated a moment longer, then reached out, the tips of her fingers just barely touching the back of Mori's hand.

He would never have done something obvious like jerk his hand away or whip around to stare at her. But his hand tensed slightly under her touch, and his eyes flicked towards her for a moment before staring away again. But then they flicked back to look at her.

Haruhi was not going to insult him by asking if he was okay… of course he wasn't okay. But she looked at him, not moving her fingertips away from his hand, silently letting him know that she was there for him.

His eyes rested on her for a moment, then they flicked away again, but the hand beneath her fingertips relaxed just a little and he didn't pull away. It was such a small thing, but he was accepting them small amount of comfort she was able to give him.

It wasn't long, however, before Mori stood up to leave. Haruhi thought about following him, but decided against it. Surely he would prefer to be alone.

But her heart ached as she watched him go, and she resolved to redouble her efforts to help him through this crisis.

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope that was an enjoyable chapter. The next chapter was going to be Honey's funeral, but I actually didn't get quite as far as I wanted to get in this chapter (that seems to happen to me a lot… I get carried away…), so there's gonna be some other stuff instead. It's gonna be awesome though!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A/N: It feels like it's been ages since I've worked on this fic… This is a real shame… But my muses will lead me where they wish, and I am powerless to direct them when they're being this demanding. But I've corralled them once again and cranked out another chapter. I think the super-angsty hurt/comfort Rizzoli and Isles fanfic I was reading helped. A lot. Reading hurt/comfort while writing hurt/comfort… I'm a fucking genius over here.

Again with the Mori and Haruhi in the library thing, I swear… That's like the fourth or fifth time since I've started writing OHC fics… It's like some weird kink for me or something.

Oh, and someone asked me if I was planning on a Kyouya/Haruhi/Mori love triangle, and the answer is no, I am not planning this. I just sort of figured that those two would be likely to hang out if they didn't have to entertain guests, with Kyouya being the way he is, and Haruhi wanting to study all the time. I was trying to do a friendship/camaraderie thing between them, and I have no intention of making a love triangle (I prefer Kyouya being in love with either Tamaki or Kaoru, but his love for Tamaki is almost always doomed because I'm an evil bitch like that.). (I write all this and then I do more stuff that could totally be read as Kyouya/Haruhi… The fuck is wrong with me? Whatever… It's not happening. I swear I'm not doing this on purpose!)

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club or any characters.

* * *

Haruhi knew it was going to be a rough day when she arrived at the Host Club that morning to find a stack of black-bordered envelopes lying on a table.

The only two people in the music room were Mori and Kyouya. Mori was standing by the window, just staring out at the early morning. Kyouya was tapping away at his laptop in silence, an opened black-bordered envelope resting close at hand. Haruhi wanted to greet them, but saying 'good morning' felt so inappropriate… So she settled for closing the door slightly more loudly than usual.

Kyouya glanced up. "Haruhi, you're here early," he said.

"Oh, I suppose so," she said with a lightness she didn't feel. "I woke up before my alarm went off for once. Would either of you like coffee, senpais?" she asked, tactically acknowledging Mori as well.

"That would be welcome, thank you," Kyouya said. Haruhi glanced at Mori. At first she didn't think he would respond, but then he nodded.

She padded over to the small kitchen area, sitting her bag on a chair as she passed. Then she reached the kitchen, losing herself in the peaceful daily task of making coffee for herself and the rest of the Host Club. Balancing the three cups carefully, she sat one next to Kyouya, who nodded his appreciation. Then she approached Mori.

The tall senior still stared out the window, his face perfectly blank, not really seeing the landscape in front of him. Haruhi watched him for a long moment before finally clearing her throat. "Mori-senpai?"

He blinked, coming back down to earth. Deep dark brown eyes finally came to rest on the girl in front of him, and the cup of coffee she was holding out.

"Thank you," he said at last, reaching out to take the cup.

"You're welcome," she said as their fingers barely brushed. Something flashed in his eyes for an instant before he brought the cup to his lips and his gaze flickered back towards the window. She hesitated next to him for a moment before deciding he wished to be alone, so she grabbed her bag and settled herself across the table from Kyouya, pulling out a book to review for a quiz in an upcoming class.

Silence reigned in the Host Club for a few more minutes, but then Tamaki arrived and silence went out the window, vowing to never return.

"Good morning everyone!" Tamaki crowed, all sunshine and brightness. Then he paused, holding up a finger. "Is that the delectable odor of commoner coffee assailing my nostrils?"

Haruhi didn't even look up from her book. "The pot is keeping warm in the kitchen and there are mugs on the counter, senpai," she said. Then she yelped as Tamaki threw his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her hair.

"Oh, my darling daughter, you are too good to us!" he practically sang as he nuzzled her.

Haruhi scowled. "Get off of me, senpai!" she exclaimed, trying to squirm away from him. It took a few more minutes of protesting before he finally let go of her and walked away to get some coffee. Haruhi sighed, reaching up to neaten her hair, knowing she would be lucky to have more than a few minutes of peace…

"Good morning, Haruhi!" two voices exclaimed, one on each side of her head.

Haruhi groaned, leaning forward to rest her forehead against the book on the table. "Hey guys," she sighed as she felt arms rest on her shoulders, knowing that if she looked up, she would be looking at two identical devilish grins.

"You look like you're having fun!" Hikaru said.

"Yeah, what's wrong? Did you forget to study for the quiz?" Kaoru asked.

"Of course not!" Haruhi snapped indignantly. "I'm just reviewing. You can never review too many times."

They both snorted, but soon started up a chorus of indignant yelps when they spotted Tamaki with his steaming cup of coffee, and there would be no more studying that morning. She groaned softly, pressing her forehead more firmly against the pages of the book, as though she could absorb the words by osmosis.

When she finally sat up, Kyouya was watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. Now that the room was noisy as the twins and Tamaki argued and chattered, he finally leaned towards her, his breath tickling at her ear as he spoke.

"You should be sure to take one of those envelopes before you leave."

Haruhi didn't bother to turn to face him. "What are they?" she asked.

"Notifications of Honey's funeral."

"Is this another upper-crust custom?" she asked, not bothering to keep the bitterness from her tone, knowing that Kyouya wouldn't be offended.

"I suppose so. Because we were Honey's closest friends…" He trailed off, trusting that she understood him.

She nodded. "When is it?"

"Saturday, late afternoon. I imagine all of us will attend together," he added. "And I'm sure the twins could find you a suitable tuxedo, as most of the school will likely attend."

"Two days…" Haruhi murmured. She had been wondering when their beloved friend would be laid to rest, but now it seemed to be coming up so fast… Her breath came in short shallow gasps as she thought about it. "It… it seems so sudden…"

That wasn't really what she meant, but Kyouya just nodded. He said nothing, but he leaned back in his chair, settling into his former position. Only the hand that gently brushed one of hers for a few moments told her that he did understand what she meant. Deciding she would not get any more studying done if she stayed here, she got up and headed for her classroom, pausing only to grab one of the black-bordered envelopes. She glanced at Mori for a moment and caught him watching her. But he looked back out the window, hiding his emotions from her.

Haruhi did well on her quiz, though it was very distracting to look on either side of her and see the twins, who were making faces or twirling their pencils, and just generally messing around. She knew they were also texting each other, and would be texting her too if she didn't make it a point to turn off her cellphone during class.

As they made their way to the Host Club, she tried to ignore the boys on either side of her as they talked and joked. They arrived in the music room and Tamaki immediately accosted them, talking about the costumes they should wear. Haruhi groaned, pressing her fingertips to her forehead. Kyouya seemed to have already decided that there would be no costumes that day either, as he was still wearing his uniform and was settled comfortably in his usual chair. But she saw immediately that Mori wasn't present.

"Where's Mori-senpai?" she asked.

Tamaki paused in mid-rant. "You know, I have no idea. Kyouya?"

"Why do you think I know where he is?" the dark-haired boy asked mildly.

"Because you know everything!" Tamaki declared happily. Kyouya rolled his eyes.

"Well congratulations, you found something that I don't know. I haven't seen Mori-senpai since this morning."

"He didn't say he wasn't coming this afternoon?" Tamaki asked, his eyebrows knitting together in concern.

"He didn't say much of anything this morning," Kyouya said.

"Not that that's unusual," the twins chorused.

"So he's probably on school grounds somewhere…" Tamaki mused. "I'm sure he would have told us if was leaving early. He's probably just running a little late."

"If he's not here in a few minutes, should I go and look for him?" Haruhi asked.

"Why would you need to do that?" Tamaki asked.

But Kyouya was looking up from his laptop and he was watching Haruhi carefully. "Actually, I think that's an excellent idea. If he isn't here in ten minutes, Haruhi should go and look for him."

Haruhi's jaw dropped open in surprise.

Kyouya didn't quite smirk, but it was a near thing. "Of course, you will likely miss several appointments… I'll be forced to increase your debt…"

Haruhi just smiled at the upperclassman. It was more of a joke than anything now… "I'll be back as quickly as I can," she promised. "And you know you don't have to keep increasing my debt. I'm not going to run off on any of you. You'll never be able to get rid of me," she teased.

"Who says I am only increasing your debt to keep you here?" Kyouya asked, his glasses shining and hiding his slate-gray eyes. Haruhi frowned, but she was reasonably certain he was just messing with her.

Tamaki's mouth opened and closed soundlessly a few times before he shrugged and nodded his assent.

The ten minutes ticked by slowly, but as the first girls began to trickle in for their early appointments, Haruhi slipped past them. Behind her, she could hear Kyouya excusing the absence of two of the hosts.

Haruhi almost never saw Mori outside of any Host Club functions, so she wasn't exactly certain where the senior spent what little free time he had. She wandered first to the floor where the seniors had their classes, but she didn't see him. She made a few inquiries, but no one had seen Mori since the final class had ended.

Next she headed to the training halls where the various athletic clubs practiced. But Mori wasn't there either, and no one had seen him. Next she checked the meditation garden, but found it deserted. She was beginning to wonder if Mori had not in fact simply left for the day without bothering to inform the rest of the club. He had been so withdrawn since his return to school, even more so than normal…

Finally Haruhi went to the library. She had no real hope for success here, but it was the only other place she could think of. Just as it had been the first day she'd walked in the door as a freshman, the library was crowded and busy as students seemed to be using their study groups as social groups instead of their intended purpose. But she knew now that there were actually quiet places in the library… if you knew where to look.

The second floor of the library was just as noisy and busy as the first, but the third floor was much quieter, and there were actually groups of students studying there. But the fourth and final floor was her destination. This floor was always nearly silent except for the turning of pages, the scratching of pens, and perhaps the occasional murmured conversation If Haruhi had been brave enough to battle through the library that first day… had ventured up here… She shook her head. She was happy with the Host Club and she did not wish to change it.

At last… at last… she found her quarry. Tucked away in the farthest back corner of the library, far from any other student, from any prying eyes… there was Mori.

Haruhi hesitated next to the bookshelf, her fingers grasping the polished wood. Mori had not sensed her approach. He was sitting at a table, his head bent over a book, but she suspected he wasn't actually reading it. Haruhi knew she should move, speak, do something to announce her presence, but she couldn't move. He looked so… alone.

Haruhi took a deep breath, then finally took a step forward. Mori didn't move. She took another step forward, then another.

"Mori-senpai," she whispered.

His head jerked up and he turned towards her voice. She took a deep breath, certain that she wasn't imagining the wet sheen in his eyes. He blinked once, twice, and any moisture that might have been there was gone.

"What do you want?" he asked, looking back down at his book.

"Well… you didn't come to the Host Club this afternoon…" she said softly. He didn't look up at her, and she cautiously approached, almost close enough to touch him, but not quite. "I was worr… We were worried about you," she said.

Mori didn't move, though she thought he might have twitched a little. She wondered if he had noticed what she'd started to say…

"I'm fine," he said shortly.

Haruhi couldn't move. He didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want the company. He didn't want to be with the Host Club. He just wanted to be alone. She knew she should withdraw, leave him to grieve where no one could see him, just like he wanted. But she couldn't make her feet move. He was ignoring her, clearly expecting her to go away and leave him in peace… but she couldn't do it. Since his return, she'd been trying to find a way to help him or comfort him…

Without pausing to think about what she was doing, she stepped in front of him. He didn't look up at her. But she wrapped her arms around him anyways.

Underneath her gentle touch, she felt Mori go still and stiff. She'd never hugged him before, not like this, but she didn't back off, didn't let go. She just held him as tightly as she could.

"I just… I'm here for you, okay?" she whispered. "Anything you need… I'm right here."

She hadn't really expected him to react to her embrace, so she was just a little surprised when two warm arms slowly circled around her back, gently returning the hug. She wrapped her arms more securely around him, one hand around his back, and the other gently cradling his head, running her fingers through his dark hair. His chin was tucked against her chest, and she could feel the warm moisture of tears dampening her shirt right at her shoulder, but she didn't say a word about it.

She didn't go back to the Host Club that afternoon. After she broke her embrace with Mori, she just sat next to him. They didn't talk and they didn't touch, but he seemed to find comfort in her presence and she couldn't leave him. Later, once the school should have been empty, they left the library together.

As they stepped outside, they found Kyouya leaning against a pillar, holding Haruhi's bag in one hand. He didn't say anything to either of them as he fell into step with them and started walking away from the school, but Haruhi saw him try to hide a smile. Somehow… he had known. Kyouya had known that she would find Mori, and that he would let her stay by his side.

* * *

A/N: Oh that was fun. Next chapter will definitely be Honey's funeral, which is going to be so full of sad… I'll try to update in a timely manner, but no promises.

Also, has anyone ever done an OHC/Beauty and the Beast crossover? I feel like this would be a fun thing to write…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A/N: I don't know how I managed to write this chapter. The entire time I was writing, I was blasting country music as loud as I could from my laptop and singing along… And I had visions in my head of the Hitachiin twins, only they were girls… and they had long pigtails and Daisy Duke shorts and those little tied-up T-shirts… And I don't know why this is in my head, but it's hilarious. I wish I could draw… I'll have to content myself with putting this hilarious image into a new fic I'm planning out. Bwahaha!

Oh, and I decided to introduce Mori's little brother! I freely admit that I've never read the manga, so I knew Mori had a brother, but I didn't know anything about him… So I looked him up on the OHC wiki, which is seriously soooo freaking helpful… And so I'm sorry if the characterization is wrong… Eventually I'll read the manga…

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club, and everyone should be grateful for that, because obviously I would do some really messed-up things with the series.

* * *

Haruhi fidgeted a little as four hands tugged at her clothing. "Jeeze, guys, I thought your maids did the job… What's with the hands, huh?" she demanded.

"But we need to make sure you look absolutely perfect," the Hitachiin twins (who else!) declared in unison.

"You need to be a very convincing boy," Hikaru said. "And that means the suit needs to be just so."

"Our maids are good," Kaoru agreed, "but they don't REALLY know how a man wears a suit, you know… We're making the necessary adjustments."

"I'm pretty sure all you're doing is trying to… DAMNIT, HIKARU!" she exclaimed, swatting away his hands. "What if Tamaki walks in? He'll NEVER shut up about this!"

Identical evil grins appeared in front of her. "Oh, Haruhi, you're so cruel… Do you really think we'd do such a thing on purpose?"

Haruhi facepalmed. "Why does this not surprise me?" she muttered.

Exactly on cue, Tamaki walked in to see what was taking so long. And he predictably lost his temper.

"WHAT ARE YOU DEVILS TRYING TO DO TO MY DARLING DAUGHTER?!" he screamed.

"Damnit…" Haruhi muttered, glaring reproachfully at the boys as Tamaki continued screaming about how they were molesting her, and he would destroy them for this. Haruhi ducked around the twins, managed to dodge Tamaki as he tried to grab her and hold her close to him while he screamed, and she managed to make it out to the sitting room of the Hitachiin mansion where the Host Club had agreed to meet before going to Honey's funeral. Kyouya was writing in one of his notebooks and didn't look up right away when she walked in, so she moved towards a mirror and made sure she looked presentable.

"I swear, those two…" she griped under her breath. "They just had to provoke Tamaki, today of all days…"

"You can't be too hard on them," Kyouya said. Haruhi was a little surprised. She'd known he'd listen to her rants, but she hadn't really expected him to say anything. "They're upset… Everyone's having a hard time with… with this. And today especially…"

"I know…" Haruhi said softly, watching Kyouya's reflection in the mirror. He still hadn't looked up from his notebook.

"They're upset, and they don't quite know what to do," Kyouya continued. "So they fall back to their usual childish pranks. It will make Tamaki react in a predictable way, and then everyone feels like things may eventually go back to normal."

"Nothing's ever going to be normal again," Haruhi said sadly, looking down at her hands. When she looked up again, she could see that Kyouya was now looking at her, and she locked eyes with his reflection.

"Things will not go back to the way they were before," Kyouya agreed, "but we will have to create a new sense of normalcy."

"I suppose you're right," Haruhi agreed sadly as she adjusted the black tie. The whole suit was surprisingly comfortable; it really wasn't that different from the school uniform, but it was black and a bit more stiff and dignified.

Moments later, Tamaki walked out, dragging the twins by their ears. "Of all the ridiculous, immature pranks you could pull," he griped. "And as we're preparing for a funeral too!"

"Ow, come on Boss, let go!" the twins exclaimed.

Haruhi and Kyouya exchanged exasperated glances.

They all went downstairs and climbed into a waiting limo, and soon they had arrived at the funeral parlor. The twins and Tamaki finally stopped arguing and everyone composed themselves into suitably respectful attitudes before they entered and joined the receiving line. Haruhi glanced around nervously, noticing several of their classmates accompanied by their parents. Everyone was dressed in incredibly fancy and formal clothes, and she sighed a little, still not used to such gaudy displays of wealth…

They rounded a corner, and Haruhi's breath caught in her throat as she saw the polished wooden coffin, carefully trimmed with gold, and covered with mountains of flowers. Haruhi made a soft noise deep in her throat, but she was relieved to feel a light pressure on her elbow as Kyouya gave it a reassuring squeeze. She took a deep breath, and realized that she was relieved that the casket was closed. She didn't think she could face looking at her friend's face this last time. She wanted to remember him the way he was… so vibrant and alive…

Tamaki took the lead as they approached Honey's parents and brother. "Mr. and Mrs. Haninozuka, on behalf of the Host Club, may I express my condolences for you loss? We have been absolutely devastated without your son's shining presence in our group, and I fear none of us will ever be the same after losing him."

Yorihisa Haninozuka clasped Tamaki's hand. "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Suoh. It's good to see that our boy had so many close friends."

His wife nodded tearfully, and threw her arms around Tamaki.

Mr. Haninozuka turned to the rest of them. "Mr. Ootori, Mr. Hitachiin, Mr. Hitachiin, and…" He paused as he looked at Haruhi. "I do not believe I know your family…" he mused.

Kyouya turned from where he'd been speaking to Mrs. Haninozuka. "This is Haruhi Fujioka. He is at Ouran on a scholarship."

Honey's father's eyes lit up in recognition. "Ah, yes! Our boy mentioned you quite often," he said, clasping Haruhi's hand warmly. "As a matter of fact… I would like to introduce you to someone. Yasuchika, will you keep an eye on your mother for just a moment?"

Honey's younger brother stared over at his father. The boy's sullen face was pale and composed, but the slight redness under his eyes betrayed his sorrow at losing the older brother he'd often professed to despise. He nodded curtly. "Uncle Akira is with Satoshi in the main room," he added as his father started walking away with Haruhi in tow.

Haruhi shot one last desperate glance back at her friends. Tamaki was speaking to Yasuchika, the twins were speaking to Honey's mother, and Kyouya was watching her with his usual inscrutable expression on his face. When he caught her eye though, he subtly nodded at her, assuring her that they would find her later. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on keeping up with Honey's father so he wouldn't be dragging her along.

They approached a dark-haired man and a boy who, although much shorter than Mori, resembled him so closely that she knew at once that this was Mori's younger brother. "Akira," Honey's father said as they approached.

The older man turned. "Yorihisa… Would you like Satoshi and myself to take your place at the receiving line? You must be tired."

"No, thank you," the other man said with a sad smile. "I'm only staying here for a moment. I have someone you wanted to meet."

Haruhi's eyebrows rose. Mori's father wanted to meet her?

Mr. Haninozuka's hands clamped down on her shoulders. "Akira, this is Haruhi Fujioka. Haruhi, this is Akira Morinozuka, and his younger son, Satoshi. I've heard you're very close with Takashi."

"Yes sir," she said meekly, holding her hand out to Akira. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances, sir."

Akira managed a weak smile, then nodded to Yorihisa. "Thank you," he said softly, and Yorihisa nodded before moving back towards his wife and son. "I apologize for pulling you away from your friends, Haruhi, but I wanted to speak with you about Takashi."

Haruhi blinked. She wanted to ask where her friend was, but Akira seemed desperate to talk. Satoshi looked a little nervous as he watched the pair.

"You see…" Akira began slowly. "Well, I'm sure it's perfectly obvious to you that Takashi is not dealing well with the loss of Mitsukuni."

"None of us are really handling it well," Haruhi said sadly. "It was so… sudden."

"Yes, that's a good word for it," Akira agreed. "But… well… I have no idea how to ask this of you… I know you're my son's closest friend at school besides Mitsukuni."

Haruhi blinked. This was definitely news to her.

"I mean, he's actually talked about you. I don't even know that I could name the other boys in that Host Club of his… Isn't the Ootori boy in that group?" Akira shook his head. "The point is, I can tell you're a close friend because he's mentioned you several times… but he hasn't spoken about anyone at all lately."

"He hasn't spoken much at school either," Haruhi said, feeling she ought to say something.

Satoshi shot a glance at his father, almost pleading with him, but Akira seemed to be ignoring his younger son.

"Well, I just wanted to ask you… to be patient with him. He needs his other friends more than ever now. I know it must be frustrating that he won't talk, but…"

Haruhi felt her cheeks heat up. "Excuse me, sir, did you just suggest that I might decide to start ignoring Mori because he isn't talking about what happened? Did you really just suggest that I might abandon him just when he needs his friends the most?" she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice from raising.

"I just meant… Dealing with your own grief… He can be a difficult boy to deal with…" Akira stuttered.

Satoshi briefly touched his fingertips to his forehead. "I told you this was a bad idea, Dad…" he muttered as his father went down in flames.

Haruhi realized her hands were clenched into fists and she deliberately tried to relax. "I don't need to be asked to stand by my friends, Mr. Morinozuka," she said tightly. "I hope that answers your question. I am so sorry for your family's loss," she added with a small bow before turning and striding away, hoping that her cheeks weren't as blazing red as they felt.

Hearing quick steps behind her, she started to turn her head, praying that it wasn't Akira Morinozuka. But it was Satoshi and his eyes were wide and nervous as he caught up with her.

"Haruhi, I'm so sorry about him… He's so worried about Takashi… I told him not to do that, I told him it was insulting… But he's really worried about my brother, he's not thinking straight…" he stammered.

Haruhi smiled and place a gentle hand on his arm. "I won't lie and say I wasn't offended, but it's not going to affect my friendship with your brother, I promise."

Satoshi favored her with a brilliant smile, and she felt a funny feeling in her stomach as it reminded her of the few times that Mori had genuinely smiled at her.

"Was your father exaggerating?" she asked suddenly. "When he said that I was Mori's closest friend, besides Honey?"

Satoshi shook his head. "No… Takashi's really fond of you." He winked conspiratorially at her. "He even told me about your little game," he whispered.

Haruhi blushed a little. "Oh… well…" she stammered.

"You must know that Takashi doesn't make friends easily. He'd rather be by himself. You must be something special for him to get that close to you in such a short time," Satoshi continued. He took her elbow. "Come on, I'm sure he'll want to say hello."

Haruhi hoped her cheeks weren't still this red by the time they found him…

* * *

A/N: I chilled out halfway through this chapter. I hit on Gary Allan's Every Storm Runs Out of Rain, and that song is sooo freaking sad… So it helped me focus on finishing this chapter off properly.

And AGAIN, I didn't get as far as I wanted! WTF! I blame that scene at the beginning… Wasn't planning on that, it just sort of happened spontaneously… Grrr… More funeral next chapter I guess.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A/N: So I started writing this chapter, and then I realized it was going to be really short, and I refused to compromise on where the chapter was going to end, so I needed a little something… And I've been wanting to do a flashback for Mori for ages… So that's what you get to start the chapter! Be prepared, cuz this is full of ALL the sad and ALL the feels! You've been warned! And most of the chapter wound up being Mori's point of view, but it'll go back to Haruhi in chapter 7.

Disclaimer: Don't own Ouran Host Club.

* * *

_ It was cold… so cold…_

_ Mori shivered and his fingers moved blindly, seeking the blanket that must be close by… After all, any responsible flight attendant would pass out blankets when the plane was this cold…_

_ Mori couldn't say for certain when he'd fallen asleep, but he had to have been asleep… His eyelids felt so heavy…_

_ "Ta…ka…shi…"_

_ Mori jerked instinctively, hearing the familiar voice of his cousin, but the tone was marred by pain, weakness… Mori moved to help, then froze as pain lanced through his body and he bit back a groan._

_ Finally he managed to drag his eyes open, and he was immediately sorry he had._

_ The plane was crumpled… that was the only way to describe it. The ceiling was caving in, the front of the plane had crumpled inwards, and there were gaping holes everywhere, letting snow fly in, and explaining why he was so damn cold…_

_ Mori didn't let the situation sink in. He had to find Mitsukuni. His cousin had been right next to him… Curled up in the window seat, staring out at the mountain range far below them…_

_ And he was still there, but he was in bad shape, Mori saw that immediately. The tiny boy was pinned beneath some unidentifiable chunk of metal. There was so much blood, all around both of them. His breath caught in his throat._

_ "Takashi…" Mitsukuni gasped, looking so relieved. "Oh thank god… I thought you were dead too. Your head…" He gulped._

_ Mori hesitantly reached up to touch his forehead. His fingers came away sticky with blood. "What happened?" he asked at last._

_ "The plane… it just… it crashed," Mitsukuni said at last._

_ Mori took a deep breath. "Is anyone…?"_

_ "I don't know… I heard one of those singers moaning earlier, but she stopped…"_

_ "How long ago did the plane crash?"_

_ Mitsukuni managed to shrug from under that hunk of metal. "Maybe an hour ago? I don't really know… I lost track of time… I may have blacked out for a little while too."_

_ Mori stared for a moment, then his fingers fumbled with the seatbelt. His leg was partially pinned underneath the same hunk of metal that trapped his cousin, and judging by the bloodstain at the correct height, this is what had struck his head. He shuddered, picturing Mitsukuni's scream of horror as the hunk of metal plummeted towards them, and wondering if that was a memory or just his imagination._

_ Mori bit back another groan. His whole body hurt, but his arm was in considerable pain… But it was more important to rescue Mitsukuni. Finally freeing most of his body from the seat, he threw every ounce of his weight against the metal. It groaned, but remained stubbornly in place._

_ "Takashi… be careful…" Mitsukuni gasped._

_ Mori stopped to make sure he wasn't hurting his cousin, but the other boy seemed more concerned about Mori hurting himself further. _

_ "I'm fine," he grunted. Throwing himself against the twisted metal again, he finally felt it give. "I'll get you out of there, I promise."_

_ Mitsukuni swallowed, but said nothing._

_ Mori threw himself at the metal again, ignoring the screaming pains from his arm and his leg. His head was still fuzzy, but one thought was clear as day…. Save Mitsukuni._

_ Finally the metal shifted, then began to slide… Finally Mori's leg came free and he hissed as the leg moved slowly, painfully. But at last, it slid to the side and Mitsukuni was free. Mori finally got to look down on his cousin, and the bottom dropped right out of his stomach._

_ Mitsukuni's small body had been damaged badly by the falling metal. There was so much blood… Mori closed his eyes for just a moment, then opened them again, ready to face this. "We have to get help," he said._

_ "Takashi, I don't think…" Mitsukuni began, those huge eyes staring up at him helplessly._

_ "No. We'll get you help," Mori said firmly. He scooped his cousin up as carefully as he could with his uninjured arm, and Mitsukuni did an admirable job of not wincing or crying out._

_ It took patience to navigate their way out of the plane. Mori stopped only to grab a few blankets to wrap around himself and his cousin. He averted his eyes from the limp and mangled bodies of the flight crew and the passengers. To climb out of the plane, Mori had to transfer Mitsukuni's weight to his injured arm, and he winced in pain, but found that once he was there, the weight was easy to bear._

_ They had landed in a valley… Mori looked around, shading his eyes and squinting for any signs of life. Seeing what he believed were traces of smoke, he started walking in that direction._

_ It was slow going… Mori's injured leg was causing him considerable pain and he could not walk at a fast clip. But he did his best to hurry, especially when he heard Mitsukuni's ragged breathing. And he tried to ignore it when the boy started coughing up blood, because there was nothing he could do to make that stop…_

_ He lost track of how long they walked. It was dark up in the mountains, with the snow swirling around them… He just put one foot in front of the other, squinting for any more signs of life…_

_ Mitsukuni's hand gripped his shoulder. "Takashi?"_

_ "Yes Mitsukuni?"_

_ "I… I'm glad you survived."_

_ "Me too. I'll be able to get help for you."_

_ Mitsukuni just shook his head weakly. Mori had been trying to ignore the sickly gray pallor, the blood he was coughing up, the horribly ragged breaths… He had severe injuries to his chest and abdomen, and the internal bleeding must have been terrible…_

_ "Takashi… I… I'm just glad… I'm not going to die alone. That was what scared me the most… when I thought you were dead, and I was just going to sit there, trapped and alone on that plane until I died of exposure or from my injuries. I'm glad you survived… I'm not alone." And Mitsukuni's hand tightened on Mori's shoulder._

_ "Save your strength," Mori insisted gently. "We'll find help soon."_

_ "Yeah," Mitsukuni agreed softly, his head dropping to rest on his cousin's shoulder._

_ They reached a village much later… probably two days later, if Mori's shattered heart and mind were to hazard a guess, but it could have been longer… All he knew was that his cousin had died while they were still at least a day away from the village that ultimately helped patch him up and sheltered him until the rescue party could be contacted. He had carried his cousin's body for a full day on his broken arm without a word of complaint, knowing only that he would never forgive himself if he left Mitsukuni to freeze in the snow and ice of those hateful mountains…_

"Takashi?"

Mori's head jerked up, his reverie shattered by the voice next to him. He'd slipped into a deserted room off to one side of the funeral parlor shortly after mourners began arriving, and no one had disturbed him… until now. He blinked, and realized his cheeks were damp with tears. He blinked, his eyes clearing almost at once, and tried to subtly wipe away any traces of tears that remained. Only then did he dare to turn around to face whoever had called his day.

Satoshi was standing there, waiting for his older brother to acknowledge him. When dark brown eyes met dark brown eyes, he finally spoke again. "Some of your friends are here… do you want to see them?"

Mori just shook his head.

Satoshi tilted his head to one side. "This is exactly what had Dad so worried, you know. You're even more cut-off from us than usual… Takashi…" He reached out to touch his older brother's arm. "Takashi, we're worried about you."

Mori blinked, but otherwise didn't register the touch. Satoshi heaved a sigh, then glanced at Haruhi. "Your turn. Hope you have better luck than me."

Mori finally realized that someone else had accompanied Satoshi into the room. He turned and found Haruhi standing there, looking slightly awkward and out of place in her suit… She murmured her thanks to Satoshi, who stepped out and shut the door behind him. She took a step forward.

"I don't know what he wants me to do… I don't know why he thinks I can help…" she said, helplessly spreading her arms. "Do you want me to stay? Or do you want me to go? I won't be offended if you tell me to leave. And if you tell me to stay, I'll stay as long as you need me to."

She made it sound so simple. Mori couldn't quite process it. Everyone seemed to want him to do things, to say things, to feel things, to do something for him or find words to make him snap out of his grief and guilt and misery… Haruhi just seemed to want to be _there._ He slowly sat down in one of the rickety old chairs that had been shoved into the room, away from the judgmental eyes of the wealthy elite who had flocked to the funeral.

Haruhi just waited for him to speak or give her some cue. There was not a trace of impatience on her face as she waited for him.

"…I… I can't pretend to know how you feel, you know," Haruhi said softly. Her voice shook just a little. "Honey was my friend too, but we were never as close as you two were… But…" Her voice broke and she had to swallow. "Takashi, I lost my mother, remember? I was very young, but… I still remember how much it hurt."

She took a step closer to him.

"People wanted to talk about it… They wanted me to talk about it. It was like… like the things I did to grieve were somehow _wrong_. But they weren't. Everyone grieves in their own way."

She took another step. She was almost close enough to touch now.

"The best thing that happened to me… was after everyone left… and my dad and I just sat in our apartment… and he held me in his arms… and we both cried. And it hurt, but… it was real."

She took another step, and he certainly could have touched her if he'd reached out, but he didn't. She didn't reach out either, not yet.

"Just tell me what you need," she whispered.

Mori said nothing, his gaze firmly fixed on the corner of the table. But he could not stop the tears that were gathering in his eyes. Haruhi rested her hands on his shoulders. When he didn't move to dislodge her, she slowly continued to wrap her arms around him until she was embracing him, just as she had in the library. And he leaned into the embrace, his hands locking behind her waist, just soaking in the gentle comfort and reassurances she provided without saying a word.

They lost track of time as they held each other. Haruhi even let herself relax in his arms, just holding him and being there for him. And when his hands loosened behind her back and started to pull apart, she instantly straightened up and loosened her embrace as well.

"I think I should be with the rest of my family," he said softly.

"Okay," Haruhi agreed. "The rest of the Club must be wondering where I am."

"Thank you," he said softly. And she simply smiled in response. As she left the room, Mori spotted her phone lying on the floor. Somehow it had become dislodged from her pocket. He looked at it for a long moment before slipping it into his own pocket.

Haruhi slipped out of the quiet room and rejoined the rest of the Club. Kyouya didn't seem particularly upset by her long absence, but Tamaki was in an absolute tizzy, hissing questions about her health and well-being, and also her virtue for some unknown reason. Since they were in a funeral parlor, Haruhi managed to restrain herself from hitting the idiot.

She stayed close to the Club until it was time to leave. As they wound their way towards the door, Haruhi fumbled in her pockets for her phone, but was stunned to realize that it was gone. She hadn't had time to panic, or even say anything to the others, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked up to see Mori standing there. He wordlessly held out her phone to her.

"Where did you…?" she began, then shook her head. "Never mind. Thanks! I don't know what I'd have done without my phone." She gave him a quick hug. "If you need anything…" she began before trailing off. But he nodded, briefly returned her hug, and watched her chase after the rest of the Host Club with his usual unreadable expression.

* * *

A/N: Wasn't that just awful? Poor Honey… I kind of hate myself for writing that scene now… (sad face) Actually, I had a really hard time editing this… Apologies for any errors, but I made myself really depressed when I wrote this and I could barely go back and edit it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I was playing a game on my computer, just letting my mind wander (best way to think on the plot of a story) and suddenly, boom! The ending of this fic exploded into my brain. So that made me happy, to know I'll have an ending. That's at least a couple chapters away though. I mean, I technically knew how the story would end, but I'm really happy that I know EXACTLY what's gonna go down. Mwahaha! Maybe that'll inspire me to crank out this chapter!

Also, everyone seemed to handle the last chapter pretty well (and by pretty well, I had people tell me they cried, and I love when my stories provoke emotional responses, so win for me!). Thanks for all the support so far, and I hope everyone enjoys the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club.

* * *

When Haruhi arrived at Music Room 3 before class two days after Honey's funeral, she felt a small fissure of alarm. Mori wasn't there… and other than a few rare occasions when he was ill or hospitalized or on a trip, he was always one of the first ones there (Haruhi had never been early enough to discover whether Mori could beat Kyouya… she wasn't entirely sure the bespectacled boy even went home). Kyouya was at his usual seat, typing away on his laptop. Haruhi put her bag down and pulled out a book, not voicing her alarm lest Kyouya scoff at her paranoia.

She needn't have bothered. Kyouya could read her moods at a glance. She'd no sooner seated herself when Kyouya looked up at her. "He'll be here. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried," she said, blushing fiercely and cursing her flaming cheeks.

Kyouya just gave her a knowing look before returning to his work. Haruhi ducked her head over her book, refusing to make eye contact with the older boy.

Tamaki and the twins arrived shortly after, and then it was time for class, and Mori still hadn't appeared. Haruhi was getting more and more edgy. "Where is he?" she asked herself as she trailed the twins to their homeroom class.

"What's up, Haruhi?" they asked in unison as they sat down on either side of her at their desks.

"Nothing, just… thinking…"

"You do that all the time," Hikaru pointed out.

"And you don't usually look like that," Kaoru said.

"How do I look?" she asked, confused.

"You look…" Hikaru began.

"Worried," Kaoru finished.

Haruhi wrinkled her nose, cursing her expressive face. "Fine, I am worried… Mori's didn't come to the music room before class… do you think he's out sick or something?"

The twins looked at each, shrugging in unison. "Good question," they said.

"We could check the senior hall during break," Hikaru suggested.

"Yeah, someone up there will know," Kaoru agreed.

Haruhi nodded agreement, then ignored them in favor of listening to their teacher. But she was distracted all morning, her notes lacking their usual precision as she worried. Finally it was time for break, and she was surprised when Hikaru and Kaoru immediately hauled her to her feet and started dragging her off.

"What the heck, guys!" she yelped.

"You're not taking notes with your usual accuracy," Hikaru said.

"And if we want to copy them later, we'll be in trouble," Kaoru continued.

"So we figure it's better to hurry up…"

"…and figure out if Mori's here so you can pay attention in class."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "How noble and selfless… really…"

"We live to serve!" the twins declared proudly.

It only took a few minutes of inquiry among the seniors to determine that Mori hadn't shown up at school that day.

"Now I'm really worried," Haruhi admitted as she walked back to class with the twins. "Do you think he's sick?"

The twins looked at each other and shrugged. "Who knows," they said together.

"Well, someone should text him and make sure he's okay," Haruhi said, already digging into her pocket for her phone.

"Haruhi…" Hikaru began.

"No one has Mori's number," Kaoru finished.

Haruhi blinked. "Oh yeah… I certainly don't have it…" she realized. Then she looked up at the twins. "And you guys don't either?"

"Nope," they said together.

"And Tamaki doesn't have it either," Hikaru added.

"Kyouya might… but I thought only Honey had it," Kaoru said.

"Well… I'll text Kyouya and ask him then," Haruhi said with a sigh, flipping through her short contact list. And then she saw a new entry… Her eyes widened.

"Haruhi? Earth to Haruhi!" Hikaru called, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Haruhi? What's up?" Kaoru added.

"Huh? Oh… sorry… Nothing's up," Haruhi said quickly, even as she started composing a new text message.

"Don't give us that," Hikaru argued.

"You looked really confused," Kaoru put in.

"It's… nothing," Haruhi tried to argue.

"Don't lie to us," Kaoru said, stealing her phone.

"Yeah, we can always tell," Hikaru agreed, leaning over his twin's shoulder.

They stared at her phone, then at Haruhi. "You said you didn't have Mori's number," they accused simultaneously.

"I… didn't," Haruhi said at last. And then she remembered Mori handing over her phone after she'd lost in at Honey's funeral… "Wait… did he…?" she murmured to herself.

"Did he what?" the twins asked.

"Nothing… never mind," Haruhi said. They were nearly to class, so she put her phone on silent and typed a quick message to Mori. _"Hey, is everything okay?"_

She sat back down at her desk, ignoring the way her phone was suddenly bombarded with text messages as the twins nagged her and tormented her. But finally… finally… Mori's name appeared on her screen, and she opened that message, letting the twins' messages go unopened and ignored.

_"Feeling unwell."_

Haruhi frowned down at the phone, but she was relieved it wasn't anything serious, so she typed back, _"Okay. I hope you feel better. Sorry to bother you."_

She bent her head back over her notes, trying to pay attention to the teacher while still ignoring the messages from the twins, who were growing increasingly agitated as she refused to look at them or their texts. And then she saw a second text from Mori, which she hadn't expected.

_"Didn't mean to worry you."_

Haruhi blinked, then reread the messages she'd sent him. 'What did I say that made him realize I was worried?' she asked herself.

_"It's okay,"_ she typed back. _"Do you need me to bring you anything after school?"_

_"I'm fine. Thanks."_

And that was that. Haruhi waited a few more minutes to see if he would text her again, but he didn't, so she turned off her phone and put it away, ignoring the indignant huffs of the boys on either side of her.

As soon as lunchtime rolled around, Haruhi turned her phone back on and hurried off before the twins could catch up with her. It didn't take her long to find Kyouya, his nose buried in his laptop as usual.

"Haruhi," he greeted her. "Have you talked to Mori yet?"

"How… did you know?" Haruhi asked at last.

"It's simple," he replied. "Mori is very careful about giving out his personal information. Even I have never discovered his personal cellphone number. But he does recognize the need to be reached by the Host Club on occasion. With Honey gone… you were the next logical choice."

Haruhi felt as though her knees might give way, and she had to grip the edge of the table for support. "Me?" she asked quietly.

Kyouya glanced at her over the top of his glasses. "Of course it would be you. Who else would it be?"

"But… what about you?"

Kyouya allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "Mori and I do get along, I'll grant you that. But we get along the way coworkers might get along. We don't see each other socially outside of the Host Club, for example."

"I don't either…"

"Well, you didn't before. But he had Honey then." Kyouya closed his laptop, then leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, fingers steepling together. "Haruhi, I don't think you realize… just how much he trusts you."

Haruhi's jaw dropped open.

"Do you think Mori trusts me? Or Tamaki? Or the twins?"

"I… but you've known each other for so long…" she stammered.

"He trusts you far more than he trusts any of us. He's opened himself to you in ways that he hasn't opened himself up to anyone but Honey. I might even go so far as to say that he likes you, but don't take my word for it."

She blinked.

"You don't find it at all odd that you are the only one he'll talk to? That you were the only one allowed to comfort him at the funeral? That he gave you his personal cellphone number?" Kyouya demanded.

"I… I hadn't… I didn't think about it…"

"Of course you didn't. But maybe that's why he likes you so much," he sighed. "You simply… you accept people's actions for what they are, you're not looking for deeper meanings or ulterior motives. It might lead some unscrupulous people to take advantage of you if you aren't careful," he added with a smile.

"Like you, perhaps?" she teased. Both of them knew that Kyouya would never take advantage of her. He'd be the one protecting her from the scams and cons.

"Continue being yourself. It's what he needs right now," Kyouya advised.

"I… hadn't planned on changing," Haruhi said softly.

"Good. Don't." Kyouya opened his laptop again. "You're excused from Host Club duties this afternoon. Stop by the room before you leave though, and collect Mori's homework."

"What? Why?"

Kyouya gave her a pitying look. "It makes a nice convenient excuse to stop by Mori's home uninvited, unless you had another excuse."

It hadn't even occurred to her. She stared at him, mouth moving soundlessly. Kyouya just smiled.

"We can spare you for an afternoon. Go to class. I'll see you later."

"Um… of course…" she said, slowly backing away. Then she hastily bowed. "Thank you, Kyouya-senpai." And with that, she turned and hurried out of the room. Kyouya just smiled as he watched her go.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I'm running out of steam with this one. There's definitely gonna be one more chapter and then either an epilogue or a full chapter after that… Not sure which. I won't know until I see how the next chapter goes. I was hoping to get this one to ten chapters, but I just don't know. I want to finish this one and Healing Bloody Wounds so I can move on to my new projects…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A/N: I am so sorry about how long it's taking me to write this thing… I am so close to being done with this fic, but I just… I don't know, I just haven't wanted to write this fic. A lot of that I think is because of my Star Trek fanfics… I'm having a lot of fun in that fandom right now. And then I started writing new material for Blow Me One Last Kiss even though I swore that fic was over… and then I was planning a couple new OHC fics because apparently I just need to be writing a hundred different fics from my two fandoms all the times now… So I really need to just hurry up and finish this before I get too deep into my other projects.

Disclaimer: Still don't Ouran Host Club (which means that in canon, Honey isn't dead, so rejoice!)

* * *

Haruhi hadn't even given a thought to how she would get to Mori's house, but she found that there was a limousine waiting at the front gate of the school. The chauffeur spotted her and her confused expression, and took a half-step towards her.

"Are you Mr. Fujioka?"

"Ah… yes…" she said hesitantly.

The uniformed man bowed. "Mr. Ootori phoned and requested that I transport you to the estate. He says you are delivering the young master's homework."

So this was the Morinozuka chauffeur. Interesting.

"Ah… of course…" she stammered, trying to look like this wasn't news to her. The man smiled at her (she wasn't fooling him for an instant) and opened the door, letting her clamber into the backseat.

Haruhi wasn't a stranger to limos anymore… it was hard to avoid them when every member of the Host Club traveled in one. But this was the first time she'd ever been inside one by herself. She felt small on the large plush red seat and she clutched the books that Kyouya had given her.

They arrived at the Morinozuka estate eventually, and a butler had the door open before Haruhi even had time to move. "If you would follow me," he said politely, and Haruhi saw no reason not to do just that. She silently marveled at Kyouya's connections… he may not have been able to find Mori's personal cellphone number, but he'd apparently pulled all the strings she needed. The butler led her to the second floor, all the way to a door at the end of a hallway (and it didn't surprise Haruhi in the least that Mori would choose a relatively isolated room).

"Master Takashi?" the butler called, rapping lightly on the door. There was no response. "Master Takashi, one of your classmates has arrived with your homework."

"Tell them thank you and show them out," was the response at last.

Haruhi blinked, her mouth falling open just a little. The butler visibly hesitated, and Haruhi wondered what Kyouya had said that was making the butler seriously consider disobeying an order from one of the masters. "May I?" she asked, reaching out to the door.

The butler looked even more uncertain, but something in Haruhi's eyes seemed to convince him and he took a step back at last. "I was told… that you were Master Takashi's closest friend… and that he would want to see you," he said quietly.

"I hope you're right about that… about both things," Haruhi said, a smile flitting across her face for a moment at the idea.

Mind obviously made up, the butler turned and started walking away. "I'm sure Master Takashi will ring when he's ready for you to leave. I hope he does let you stay though," he said quietly, and Haruhi suspected this was not the sort of personal information that servants did not normally divulge. She wondered if it was a mark of how concerned he was for Mori's well-being.

As the butler's footsteps faded away, Haruhi gritted her teeth and turned the handle as slowly and quietly as she could. She inched the door open and got her first glimpse of Mori's room.

It was a plain and serviceable room, very much in line with what she knew about the older boy. She could see a few kendo trophies, a tidy bookshelf with plenty of well-worn books on it, and a few photographs on a dresser, though she could not see the subjects of the pictures well. The room was mostly dominated by a large bed, and that was where Mori was sprawled.

He didn't look particularly ill, she noticed, confirming her suspicions that he was not quite as ill as he had implied. He was dressed in loose-fitting black pants and a black sleeveless shirt. One leg was stretched out on the bed while the other was bent at the knee. His hands were clasped behind his head, his elbows stretching to either side of him as he stared up at the ceiling, all long graceful limbs and tanned skin.

Haruhi caught her breath, her eyes racing towards a stripe of slightly paler skin just visible above the waistline of his pants where the shirt had ridden up a few inches. Then she mentally slapped herself, pushing the door open a bit more and rapping on it. Mori didn't move, so she rapped more loudly. Then she saw his eyebrows knit together for an instant before his eyes flicked towards the door, his lips already parting to verbalize his response… and that's when he saw her standing there. He immediately pushed himself into a sitting position, his hips swiveling so his bare feet could rest on the floor, and Haruhi wondered when on earth she'd started noticing these little details about him.

"Haruhi…" That low voice arrested her attention at once, and she prayed he hadn't noticed her staring. "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, bringing him his homework seemed so inadequate. Her mouth moved soundlessly for a moment, and it wasn't until he'd started crossing the room towards her that she found her voice. "I… I was worried about you," she managed to blurt out.

One long arm stretched over her head, pushing the door closed behind her. The other reached out to take the books from her. He gave them a quick once-over and one eyebrow quirked slightly. One piece of paper in particular seemed to catch his attention, and even upside-down, Haruhi could recognize Kyouya's precise handwriting. "Kyouya's idea?" he asked.

"To bring the books, yes," Haruhi said with a feeble smile. "He seemed to think I'd be more comfortable coming over with… I believe he called it a convenient excuse."

Mori actually chuckled, a noise she hadn't heard from him in a while. "Did it?"

"Sorry?"

"Make you more comfortable."

Haruhi smiled at that. "It did help when dealing with your chauffeur I suppose. He's a bit stuffy."

Mori looked her over, and she tried to figure out what the emotion in those dark eyes was, but she couldn't do it before he turned away to deposit the books at his desk. "Why are you really here?"

"I told you, I was worried about you," Haruhi said quietly.

"I told you I wasn't feeling well."

"And from where I'm standing… you look healthy," she decided was a safe way to answer. He didn't answer her, so she reached out and grabbed his wrist. "I know it must be a lot to deal with, but… I can't help you if you hide from me."

"If I really wanted to hide from you," and Mori looked amused as he said this, "I would not have given you my phone number."

"That was rather sneaky of you, wasn't it?" Haruhi said. "At the funeral home, wasn't it? When I lost my phone?" He nodded. "Why? Takashi, why me?" She hadn't planned to call him by his first name, it had just slipped out. He twitched a little, and Haruhi wanted to back off, tell him that it didn't matter… except that it did…

Mori didn't seem to know how to respond, so instead he sat on the edge of his bed. Haruhi hesitated between joining him there and sitting on the chair by the desk. Her hesitation must have been written on her face because Mori touched the bed next to him, an obvious invitation coming from him. So she stepped forward and sat next to him, maintaining a comfortable space between them.

"That might have come out more forcefully than I intended," Haruhi said once she was comfortable. "I…" She paused. "You know I would do anything to help you, don't you?" she said.

Mori nodded, the ghost of a smile flickering across his face. Before Haruhi could decide what to say next, she and Mori both turned their heads toward the door. They could hear shouting coming from the hallway. Haruhi recognized the deep booming voice of Mori's father, and the slightly thinner voice of his brother Satoshi.

"Dad, have you lost your mind?" Satoshi was shouting. "He's having a hard time, but that doesn't mean…"

"You don't know that! You don't know what he's thinking right now!"

The voices were coming closer. Satoshi was still protesting as Haruhi stared in undisguised amazement at the door. Mori's face was as placid as ever, even when his bedroom door flew open with such force that it smacked hard into the wall, bouncing back and nearly hitting his father in the face. Haruhi managed not to yelp in surprise, and she also had to fight the urge to move even further away from Mori, reminding herself that they weren't doing anything wrong…

Akira Morinozuka's eyes were wide, panic-stricken really. Haruhi didn't know what he'd expected to see, but the way he pulled up short, his eyes raking over the pair of them, this wasn't it. Satoshi screeched to a halt behind his father and stared briefly into the room before giving Haruhi a small wave and then glaring at his father.

"See? I told you!" he exclaimed angrily. "If you'd stopped and listened to me for a minute, I could have told you she was here, I was in the house when she got here. Sorry I didn't get a chance to greet you, Haruhi. It's nice to see you again."

He was so polite, Haruhi thought with a smile. "Nice to see you too, Satoshi. Mr. Morinozuka, I hope I'm not intruding on anything," she said. Commoners can be polite too, a little voice in her head piped up, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep her amusement from appearing on her face.

Akira seemed floored for a minute, his eyes searching the room for… something… and not finding what he had expected to see. "Ahh… Miss Fujioka… I… I did not expect to see you here this evening."

Haruhi didn't know what to say to that.

Akira cleared his throat, looking even more awkward now. Satoshi was glaring daggers at his father's back. "Dad, don't…" he said through clenched teeth.

"Takashi…" the older man began.

"Dad, for heaven's sakes…"

"Takashi, have you seen the bottle of sleeping pills that was in my bathroom cabinet?" the Morinozuka patriarch blurted out.

Satoshi made an irritated noise, his fingers kneading into his forehead. "Did you have to ask that while she's here?"

Haruhi tried to figure out what was going on. But her bewilderment only increased when Mori stood up without a word, moving to the nightstand next to his bed and withdrawing a rather large pill bottle from the topmost drawer. He crossed the room in only a few strides to press the bottle into his father's hand.

Satoshi's jaw dropped. Mori pretended not to notice. "I couldn't sleep last night. I forgot to put them back." His eyes seemed to lock on his father's, and some form of nonverbal communication seemed to occur between the two before the patriarch nodded and took a step backwards.

"Thank you," he said shortly. "Will… will your guest be here long?"

Mori glanced at Haruhi, a question in his eyes. Haruhi took a moment to find her voice. "If you want me to leave, I can leave," she said quickly.

Mori shook his head. "Stay."

Her fingers clenched the comforter she was sitting on as she nodded. Mori turned back to Satoshi, who looked lost. Something seemed to pass between the brothers before Satoshi reached out to grab his father's elbow. "Come on, Dad, let's leave them alone."

"Yes, of course," Akira said, and the pair left the room, closing the door behind them.

Mori resumed his seat on the bed, and Haruhi finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Then she looked at Mori, and she knew that he knew she was about to ask him some difficult questions.

* * *

A/N: Phew… I know this was kind of short, but I anticipate there being a lot more to say, and I figured I've kept my readers waiting long enough. There will probably be ten chapters now… the next chapter, and then a nice little epilogue. I find I'm okay with this. That's actually more than I expected… when I started writing, I assumed there'd be maybe six or seven chapters, though some of these are rather short, aren't they? Eh, whatever… It's my fic, I can write it however I want!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A/N: As a few readers already know, I wrote this the same night I wrote chapter 8, but after I was done writing it, I was completely emotionally drained, so I promptly went off and slept for many hours rather than editing this chapter (I finished it around 2am, whaddya want from me?). This fic… I swear… I tear up every time I write a chapter. So I had to wait a while to get all the feels out of my system, but now it's edited and posted and there's only one epilogue-ish chapter left to go! Scary… I'll try to write it promptly, and hopefully post it in a week or so. I just want to say thank you to every person that has reviewed, favorited, or followed this fic. You guys inspired me to finish this fic when I really thought I might give up on it because it seriously has been that hard to write. I hope it's been worth the ride.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club.

* * *

Haruhi chewed on her lower lip, not quite sure where to begin. She still wanted answers… about the phone number, and this… this way that he was placing her on the pedestal he'd held Honey on for so long, a pedestal that Haruhi was certain she did not deserve. But more pressing at the moment… was that bottle of pills that his father had just carried out of the room.

Mori waited silently for her to speak. They were only a foot apart, sitting side by side on the edge of his bed, but the gap between them had never seemed wider than at that moment. Haruhi dazedly wondered what Akira had hoped to accomplish by letting her see the bottle of pills… maybe, in his own strange way, Akira had been trying to send her a message, hoping that she could offer his older son the comfort and emotional release that no one else seemed to be able to provide. It was a really weird way to send a message though…

Haruhi took a deep breath, then reached out to touch one of Mori's hands. Her touch was light, barely making contact with his skin, but he looked up and his eyes pierced her. "Takashi…" she managed to whisper at last. He still waited for her to complete her thought. Finally deciding what to focus on, Haruhi gazed into his eyes, willing him not to look away. "Tell me the truth. Why were those pills in your room?"

Mori's eyes didn't close all the way, but it was close. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

"I know you're having a hard time…" she whispered. "But… I didn't seriously think… I never would have expected… You're stronger than that, I know you are," she blurted out at last. "And besides," she couldn't resist adding, "you would never… not with sleeping pills… Maybe a sword… Seppuku and grand samurai rituals…"

She tried to smile at him, but it came out feeling forced, and she could feel hot tears gathering in her eyes. She tried to blink them away before he noticed, but it was a futile gesture, she knew it. She ducked her head, still trying to blink away her tears, but she failed, and two fell in quick succession, creating round dots on the comforter they sat on.

Mori reached out, catching her chin gently with two fingers. The light pressure on her skin made her look up at him, her moist light brown eyes meeting his beautiful black ones. Usually those eyes were remote, striving to hide his emotions from the people around him… but as she looked at him, she could almost see him dropping his guard… letting her see past the careful façade… And this was more than letting her see him grieving for Honey. Everyone knew he was grieving for his cousin and best friend. This was different, this was naked emotion in his eyes, and he looked troubled as his thumb danced across her cheek to catch a third tear as it snaked its way down her cheek.

"Haruhi…" he whispered.

"Takashi…" she whispered back. "I… I couldn't handle it… I couldn't… I couldn't bear to lose someone else from the Host Club… not so soon, not like that…"

His fingers still touched her face, so gently… they were barely there… "I know," he whispered.

"You… you know?" she repeated.

Mori nodded. "You understand how I feel. Your mother…"

Haruhi closed her eyes, not sure if she could handle dredging up those memories right now.

"You're very strong," Mori continued. "Even with… all of us… You know we would do anything to help you, and yet… You are so independent. But even you are not invincible."

Haruhi swallowed, feeling oddly vulnerable as Mori looked at her.

"I don't know what your limits are," Mori said, so quietly she could barely hear him. "But I don't want to be responsible for you reaching them."

"So… you weren't really…?" She couldn't make herself finish that sentence.

Mori didn't answer… not directly. Instead he said, "Thank you for texting me."

One of Haruhi's hands snaked up, her fingers intertwining with the ones that touched her face still. "Is… Was that… all?"

Mori shook his head. "I was… undecided," he said at last. "But… seeing your name on my phone…" He hesitated. "I don't always remember that I am not alone."

"Why me then?" Haruhi asked. "You could have… everyone's phone number if you wanted it. You could always have many lifelines. I'm not the only one who cares about you, the whole Host Club does."

"That's true," Mori agreed quietly. "But you…" He paused again, his fingers finally leaving her face as his hand slowly closed around hers. "You seem to always know when I need you," he whispered.

Haruhi realized she was shaking, but there wasn't anything she could do to stop it. "Takashi… Why did you wait for me to text you? Why didn't you text me yourself? I will always answer you…"

"I know," Mori agreed quietly. "But… I don't… I don't like depending on others to… to rescue me."

Haruhi couldn't quite stop herself from whimpering. "Oh Takashi…" Her other hand fluttered for a moment as she tried to figure out what to do with it, before finally settling for perching it on his knee.

"And…" Mori continued, though it was obviously an effort to lay his innermost thoughts bare before another person, "I don't… I don't really like letting anyone see me this way."

Haruhi could understand that… Grief was such a funny thing… so oddly intimate. Even though everyone close to Mori was going through the same grief, the same sense of loss… It must have felt so isolating. And Mori had lost so much more than anyone else… Honey had been so much to him.

"But you let me see it…" she whispered, wondering if this was even a safe topic right now…

Mori nodded. "I… there's something… you make it easier."

"Kyouya thinks it's because you trust me more… at least more than anyone else in the Host Club."

The corner of Mori's mouth twitched a little. "That's… not inaccurate," he conceded.

Haruhi considered the other things that Kyouya had said… that Mori was actually… interested in her. This WAS an eerily intimate scene… and he did let her see him with his walls so thoroughly demolished. She took a deep breath. "Takashi… I want you to know something."

"Okay," he said softly.

"I want you to know… that I… I'm willing to be whatever you want me to be." Seeing his slightly puzzled expression, she kept going. "I can't replace Honey… no one can… but whatever you need… If you just want to see me as a fellow Host, that's fine… But I'll be your friend, no matter what, even your best friend if that's what you need me to be." She wanted to add 'even your girlfriend', but she couldn't make herself say those words. It felt so wrong… it was so soon… "Anything you want me to be, any role you want me to fill… I'll do my best, I promise."

And Mori actually smiled at her, a small smile, but a genuine smile nonetheless. "Just be you, Haruhi… That seems to work well."

Haruhi recalled Kyouya saying something similar. "You're right…" she marveled, a smile sliding onto her face. "You're right, it does."

And then Mori surprised her yet again when he leaned down and quickly kissed her. He pulled away before she had a chance to react, and it all happened so fast, she wasn't quite sure whether she'd imagined it or not. Her fingers moved towards her lips, trying to decide if she really did feel the ghost of his lips on hers, and the slight redness of his cheeks indicated that it hadn't been a hallucination.

"I apologize," Mori said softly. "I didn't intend…"

Haruhi interrupted him quickly. "I didn't mind."

Mori's eyebrows went up. "Really?"

"Really," Haruhi insisted. She knew her cheeks were heating up, but she wasn't backing down now. "I… I really didn't mind."

Mori's eyes were searching her face, looking for… something.

Haruhi swallowed. "It's not pity, if that's what you're wondering. I… I would have…" She blushed and stammered and couldn't continue speaking. "I just want you to be ready," she managed to exclaim.

Mori's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

"I don't want…" Haruhi began, then she paused. "I don't want to push you into anything, and I don't want to try to… to take away from your grieving. But… I'm here… when you're ready."

Mori seemed overcome by her words, unable to speak. Then he leaned forward and kissed her again, for a bit longer this time, actually giving her a chance to kiss back. It was a tentative kiss on both sides, so much hesitation…

"I don't know if I'm ready…" Mori began.

"I'll wait," Haruhi promised instantly. "And I'll be here when you are. And until then… I'm still here, for anything you need…"

"I know," Mori said softly, one hand moving to brush a few strands of hair from her face. "I'm not sure of many things anymore… but I am sure of that."

Haruhi smiled up at him, at that unguarded expression on his face… And she wondered if Kyouya had seen this coming… if that was why he'd pushed her into coming… If so, she owed him a thank you, she decided as Mori's fingers tangled themselves in her hair and her eyes slipped closed.

* * *

A/N: Okay… jeeze… The feels are pretty much over, I swear! The epilogue should be a bit more light-hearted… I'll try to make it that way at least. Until next time then!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A/N: Wow, I wrote this a bit more quickly than I expected. Well, it's always sad to end a fanfic, but… all good things have to come to an end. More notes at the end, so I'll shut up and let everyone get to reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran Host Club

* * *

It was another busy afternoon in the Host Club, and Haruhi took advantage of the required trip into the kitchen for more tea to rest her head against the cool counter. She glanced at the sink and reminded herself that she needed to check the vases around Honey's shrine before the week was over. Both the shrine inside the Host Club and the one in the courtyard below had become semi-permanent monuments to the beloved senior. They might vanish during the upcoming summer break, but Haruhi hoped not. It was nice to see them in place; it no longer hurt her heart as badly to see them. It had been a difficult four months since her fellow host had died, but he was not forgotten… and never would be, at least not by the Host Club. She mentally resolved to make sure that at least the shrine in the music room would remain untouched until she graduated.

Speaking of graduation… A sigh escaped her lips. Takashi was graduating in less than a month…

Their fledgling relationship had never gone public for a number of reasons… first, the entire school still thought she was a boy. Second, Takashi wasn't particularly big on public displays of affection... even less so after losing his cousin. It was as though he thought that if other people saw him happy… they might think he was forgetting or being disrespectful… even though nothing could be further from the truth.

Haruhi didn't particularly mind though. She wasn't really into public displays of affection either. They had their moments where they could be alone together in the library or at his home, and she enjoyed the closeness even if it had never gone past the occasional kiss. But she did wonder what would happen when he graduated… He'd given no sign one way or the other.

Well, worrying about it wouldn't help anything, Haruhi decided. She picked up the tray with the tea cups and the extra bowl of sugar, balancing it carefully and stepping out into the bustling music room.

Nothing had really changed… not exactly. The twins were entertaining their guests with the much-adored brotherly love act. Tamaki was practically surrounded by a cloud of rose petals as he spun lines for the beauties around him. Takashi still had guests, but he acted mostly as a quiet listener as the girls chattered about anything that came to mind. He sat at a comfortable corner table where he could keep half an eye on the shrine to Honey… like he thought someone might damage it if he didn't keep an eye on it… as though anyone would dare to vandalize it, especially with him right there. She caught his eye and gave him a small smile, and he nodded slightly. Haruhi almost missed seeing Kyouya, who was saying goodbye to his guests and returning to his laptop.

Haruhi was relieved that her own guests had also left for the day. Maybe she'd have time to get some homework done in between running menial errands for the busier hosts. She threaded her way across the room, expertly dodging every yellow skirt without spilling even a drop of tea. That is, until she felt two pairs of amber eyes latch onto her, and a cold shiver ran down her spine.

"Haruhiiiiii," two voices chorused. She could almost see the devilish grins on their faces before she even turned around. She managed to resist rolling her eyes, though it took some serious willpower.

"What do you want, guys?" she asked, turning her head to look at them. And she nearly cursed out loud as they appeared right behind her, and their expressions were exactly as devilish as she had feared. "Hey, you're gonna make me drop this!" she exclaimed as the tray swayed alarmingly.

Deft hands quickly deposited her burden on the nearest table, and they were hauling her protesting form towards the eager girls they'd been entertaining.

"Haruhi, we need you," Hikaru said.

"Yeah, the girls want to watch us play with one of our toys," Kaoru continued.

"What are you talking about?" Haruhi demanded, squirming in their grip. "I'm not one of your toys."

"That's what you say NOW," Hikaru said with a smirk.

"Trust us, you'll be singing a different tune in a minute," Kaoru added with an identical smirk.

"No I won't," Haruhi protested. "Why can't you just use one of them?" she added, gesturing at the giggling girls.

"Now Haruhi, what are you thinking?" Hikaru asked, shaking his finger at her.

"You know we can't play favorites," Kaoru put in, also shaking his finger.

"That doesn't mean you can just use me!" Haruhi exclaimed, trying again to get free, but she might as well have not bothered. They barely seemed to be trying to hold her, and she couldn't even move.

And then the situation got worse. Tamaki saw them.

"What do you devils think you're doing?!" Tamaki shouted, the rose petals and sparkling prince aura vanishing faster than anyone could blink. "You let Haruhi go right now!"

"But Boss, we need a prop!" the twins chorused together.

"Haruhi is not a PROP!" Tamaki yelled at them. "How dare you use our poor commoner so shamefully? It's a disgrace! A DISGRACE, I tell you!" he exclaimed, actually stamping his foot in frustration.

Haruhi couldn't stop herself from groaning. The resident prince going into hysterics wasn't going to help the situation at all. If anything, it was going to make the twins even more determined. And she definitely didn't miss the evil grin that passed between the two boys.

"The boss is mad," Hikaru said.

"Yep, definitely mad," Kaoru agreed.

"You think we should do something?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Exactly what we were planning on doing."

The evil grin that passed between the two boys was the most devilish yet, and Haruhi just sighed.

And then Tamaki was there, and as the twins pulled on her arms to haul her back to their guests, Tamaki managed to grab her ankles and tried to pry her loose from the twins' grasps. And Haruhi couldn't help but mentally compare her situation to being stretched on a rack as the trio shouted insults at each other. Which was a perfectly normal occurrence, of course, but she would have preferred to be watching from the sidelines, not literally caught in the middle of a tug-of-war.

"Will you guys knock it off and let go of me?!" she yelled at them. She was, of course, ignored. She twisted her head, catching Takashi's eye and mouthing the word 'help' in his direction.

And like lightning, he was there. She wasn't quite sure how it happened, but somehow the hands gripping her arms and wrists and ankles were all removed and she was being held bridal-style in Takashi's arms. The twins and Tamaki looked nearly as shocked as she was. Takashi, as per usual, didn't say a word as he crossed the room and gently deposited her in her usual chair next to Kyouya, and she could have sworn she felt his lips brush against her temple, though it was so quick that no one else could have possibly seen anything. Her cheeks felt a bit warmer than usual, and she glanced up to see a knowing smirk on Kyouya's face.

"Stop that," she whispered, nudging his ankle with her foot (she would never dare to actually kick him like she might with the twins or Tamaki).

Kyouya just adjusted his glasses, the smile vanishing from his mouth… but strangely not from his eyes. "You're worried about how things will be after graduation."

Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. "How…?" she asked before chancing a quick glance at the tall senior as he sat back down at his table with a murmured apology to his guests.

"It's a perfectly natural response, especially given the newness of the relationship, and the way you have both kept it so quiet."

"You know about it," she pointed out.

He gave her a pointed look. "Of course I know." And he left it at that.

Haruhi sighed, opening a book and grabbing a pen, deciding she might as well get on with her homework. "Of course you do," she agreed.

They worked in companionable silence for several minutes before Kyouya broke it. "You were right about one thing though."

"What's that?" Haruhi asked, not looking up at him, though she was sorely tempted to see the expression on his face as he admitted that she was right about something.

"He does trust me more than I gave him credit for," Kyouya said.

"Is that so? How did that come up?" Haruhi asked, finally looking up. She was surprised by the rather pensive expression on Kyouya's face.

Kyouya started to shrug, looked ready to brush her off… then he stopped himself. "He asked me to look out for you… around school… after graduation."

Haruhi gaped at him. That sounded like… like Takashi was anticipating that their relationship would last… "Well it makes sense," she managed to say. "After all, any idiot can see that we're friends…"

"It's more than that though," Kyouya interrupted her. "He apparently trusts me to make sure nothing happens to you… and that I won't go behind his back and try to steal you away." The look in those slate-gray eyes was only slightly predatory.

Haruhi grinned. "Maybe he just knows that I won't be tempted away from him by the likes of you," she teased.

"There may be something to that," Kyouya agreed with a smirk. He glanced over her shoulder, and she turned, following his gaze to Takashi as he escorted his guests to the door. "It looks like he's done for the day. You may go as well, if you like."

She turned to look at Kyouya, but his expression was impossible to read. "Thanks," she said with a smile, putting her books away and standing. She fell into step with Takashi as he approached the doors, and he held them open for her, like the proper gentleman that he was. And she felt Kyouya's eyes boring into her back, but she said nothing about it.

She and Takashi didn't say anything at all to each other, didn't even touch as they walked through the nearly deserted grounds of Ouran Academy. This was normal for them though, and she didn't try to change it. It wasn't until they were only a few yards from the front entrance that Takashi broke the silence.

"You spoke to Kyouya earlier."

Haruhi nodded. "I speak to him every day, you know that," she said with a smile.

Takashi gave her a look, pleading with her not to be coy. "I suppose he told you about our conversation."

"He mentioned it," Haruhi agreed.

"I hope I wasn't out of line," Takashi said at last, and he actually looked unsure for a moment, clearly wondering how she would take such a blatant attempt to keep watch over her when he couldn't do it himself.

Haruhi smiled and shook her head. "Not at all. I thought… I thought it was sweet." And she was definitely blushing, but she could do nothing to stop it.

"I had thought…" Takashi began, but he stopped and shook his head.

"Maybe a few months ago, I would have been upset," Haruhi conceded. "But… I understand. I know why you want to make sure I'm okay. Why you need to do that." And she couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face at the thought. "It shows you care."

Takashi's hand rested on her shoulder, and she thought that would be it, but then he bent down and pressed his lips to hers. It was over too quickly, she didn't even have time to properly orient herself. But it was still a kiss, and a quick peck was what he nearly always gave her. She didn't really mind. He was trying. She wouldn't push him. He obviously wanted to keep her by his side…

Takashi's head tilted slightly to one side. "Something wrong?"

Haruhi shook her head. "Not a thing," she whispered, and she surprised herself a little by reaching up and grabbing his tie, pulling him down to her level so that she could steal another quick kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow." And for many days after that, she hoped. And she hurried out of the school, not turning back… so she missed the smile that crossed Takashi's face as he shaded his eyes, watching her as she walked away.

* * *

A/N: *gets massive nosebleed thinking about being a toy for the twins* Ahem… This chapter ended up being a bit longer than I'd planned, but I got a little wrapped up in some of the fluffier moments. After all the angst, I thought we all deserved a bit of a treat.

I hoped that wrapped things up well! And now it's over, and I can't really say I'm upset about it. It was a really neat character exercise, and I did have some fun working my way through everyone's reactions to a tragedy, but damnit, it tore me up having to write this stuff… Don't know that I'll do something quite like this ever again, but it was kinda fun and I'm pretty pleased with the result. I truly hope everyone enjoyed this piece, and thank you all once again for all the support and encouragement!


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